Bike = 6 months old, Trek Rig (SS)Bontrager tyres.I've had 3 flats on the front tyre and after today's flat I thoroughly inspected the tyre for nails etc but found a sharp bit of the rim where there was a join. Sanded off the sharp bit and hopefully no flats from that little nasty.

I have this bottle of Stan's No Tubes, so before putting the tyre back on i coated the inside of the tyre with this stuff. To my surprise when i pumped up the tyre and was working the tyre onto the rim, the Stans No Tubes was leaking through the tyre on the tread (top bit) in about 5 places. The tyre effectively has about 5 cuts or holes in it. Is this normal? I'm not exactly a super MTB rider and the bike gets only light use. Are these tyres so soft that they get cut up easily?

I can already guess that someone is going to recommend their favourite tyre. But these Bontragers can't be that bad? They are on all the new Trek bikes.

Not all Bontrager tyres are that bad. You've just got some that were made for a factory fit rather than aftermarket so they are made for a different pricepoint. The Maxxis Crossmarks that were fitted to many Giants in the last couple of years are the same - different quality to those in the aftermarket. I scored a pair of the OEM Crossmarks on the cheap from the LBS and found them to be thin and wobbly compared to an aftermarket Crossmark. One of the OEMs also had a massive carcass repair in it...still works fine though.

As for the punctures....that's no surprise. Happens regardless of tyre in my experience. These days it's either tubeless or tubes filled with a 70:30 mix of Stans/Slime Tyre...either way punctures are generally banished